Airmen with the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s petroleum, oil, and lubricant flight at Balad AB, Iraq, have set a record for the highest number of gallons of fuel issued in a single month over the last three years: 3.6 million gallons of fuel by tank truck and R-11 refueling units to every type of aircraft that touched down at the base in January. They also issued more than 220,000 gallons of diesel fuel for support equipment and vehicles at Balad. The airmen refuel other services’ aircraft and vehicles, as well as non-military aircraft. Fuel use has ranged from three to 3.6 million gallons over the past three months.
Bell Textron has won DARPA's contest for a no-runway, high-speed drone that will prove out technologies useful for special operations forces and possibly the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept. Bell's design converts a tiltrotor to a jet-powered aircraft able to fly at up to 450 knots.